Bat Pack
by Raberba girl
Summary: Collection of my Batfam ABO fics.
1. TBWS: Wolfbirds, part 1

_Wolfbirds_

A Batman fanfic by Raberba girl

Author's notes: Sorry for the title; I couldn't think of anything better. X'''D

**Credit to WorkingChemistry for some of the worldbuilding!** Some of my ideas definitely differ from theirs, but I did tend to default to some of WC's worldbuilding at times.

Part 1 (rough draft)

Although there was every reason to believe the pups would present the same as their counterparts, it was still better not to assume (and not to contribute to shortening what was left of their childhoods). The family made an effort to avoid gender-specific pronouns for them before they presented.

A couple of years after the birds' rescue, Dick was home in anticipation of her upcoming heat, leaving Blüdhaven protected by the Titans in rotating shifts, as usual. It was an ordinary enough day until Jason, reading in the library, realized that someone had been rustling around for a while. She looked up to find Peter perched on the edge of the couch, watching John, who was restlessly roaming the room and throwing all the pillows and blankets and shiny things they could find into a haphazard pile.

_"[chirp-chirp] smells weird,"_ Peter signed as soon as they realized Jason was no longer preoccupied.

"They do," Jason agreed, setting aside her book and getting up. She could smell John all the way from here. The pup hadn't quite presented yet, but they were obviously close, and the pile of soft and/or pretty things was a dead giveaway of their gender-to-be, even if hadn't already been obvious because of Dick being an omega.

Jason was already feeling the urge to make a nest and protectively tuck the pups into it, but that wasn't what John needed right now. Instead, she took out her phone and texted, _John's nesting_.

Within two minutes, the entire pack was converging on the library, but instead of welcoming the assurance like most pups on the verge of presentation would do, John shrieked, lashed out at Dick when she tried to hug them, then fled, snatching Jack on the way.

There was no need to follow their scents; Jack was protesting loudly enough to be heard all the way down the hall. When they all caught up, they found John in a linen closet, breathing hard with their eyes squeezed shut as if in pain. They were half lying on Jack, who was complaining and squirming but couldn't get loose.

"Johnny," Dick crooned, "come on out, sweetie, let's get you to a real nest. I know you're feeling weird right now."

John started _growling_, strong and low, in a way that clearly meant _"GO AWAY."_ The threatening noise was occasionally interspersed with Peter's bird name, more and more insistently until the pup cautiously edged closer.

_"Do not pin me!"_ Peter twittered, but John lunged at them and knocked them to the carpet, biting their neck. Then they stumbled off alone as Peter whimpered on the floor, trembling in the wake of having been aggressively claimed and yipping in displeasure at being forced into it. The bite hadn't broken skin, but it was strongly scented and visually clear.

"Bruce," Dick said, fear seeping into her scent.

Bruce held back a growl of distress about the unrest in his pack. He nuzzled Dick to comfort and reassure her, then left Peter to Alfred's and Jason's care. He followed John, glad when Duke accompanied him. A beta's calm demeanor would be useful.

John was still breathing hard, their steps unsteady. "Johnny," Bruce called, trying to keep his voice gentle, but the answer was a short warning snarl.

"John," Duke tried.

John paused and crouched low, arms wrapped around their stomach. _"Sick,"_ they signed after a moment.

"Johnny," Bruce said, kneeling down at a respectful distance, "you're not sick. You're presenting. You're about to find out that you're probably an omega. You are safe here with your pack, and you will feel better if you get settled in a nest and let us tend to you."

John hissed and forced themself to their feet again, limping down the hall with one arm still wrapped around their stomach and the other hand clutching at the wall for guidance.

Since John wasn't letting anyone touch them, everyone started gathering the nesting materials they seemed to be searching for and taking them to the master bedroom to at least take care of that part of the job for them.

Dick, falling into her own heat a little early because of the stress, was already hard at work on a nest of her own in Bruce's bed, lining it with one of her pack Alpha's shirts and ordering Tim to fetch clothes from the rest of the family. Jason's heat was still almost a week away, but the pack's anxiety had roused her instincts, so she, too, was arranging a nest on the bed. Although each omega would have her own individual preferences for her share of it, the three nests would meld together, creating a safe communal space for them to share with the pups and be tended to by the rest of their pack.

Unfortunately, John threw a wrench into it. When they realized that the nesting materials were being brought to Bruce's room, they started crowing loudly and hurling things. Jack, upset by their sibling's distress and by the pack's unusually intense pheromones, started to cry. Tim held and nuzzled them while Peter clung to Duke.

"Johnny, what's _wrong_?" Bruce asked in exasperation. "Do you...want to nest somewhere else?" It was unusual for an omega in a non-abusive home to want to nest away from her pack Alpha's strongest scents, but not unheard of. "Do you want to use your own room instead?"

John did restlessly examine their room, particularly the bed and the closet, but then hissed and dragged themself out again.

They'd gone over the gardens, the living room, and even the kitchen before finally settling in Dick's room. Nearly in tears, John painstakingly dragged nesting materials into Dick's closet, hissing at both alphas when they tried to help. Cass took over, bringing blankets and pillows and sparkly sashes and shiny skirts in so that all John had to do was arrange them to their liking.

Bruce, feeling helpless, went to tell his other children where John had finally settled. Jason, facedown in a pillow, groaned at the thought of having to move, and Dick, hyperemotional because of her heat, burst into tears. "Why did she go all the way _there_?!" she sobbed. "Why won't she come _here_ where she's _supposed to be_?!"

"It's right across the hall, Dickie," Bruce crooned, gathering Dick into his arms so he could pick her up. "I'll carry you. The others will bring your nest, and-"

"But I still have to build it all over agaaaaaiiiiiin!" Dick wailed.

"Everyone is crying!" Jack echoed despairingly.

"Of _course_ we can't have a nice, normal presentation, because we're Bat Waynes and we're too good for normal," Tim grumbled.

Jason got resettled quickly, piling a new sub-nest around herself and falling asleep with Peter cuddled in her arms and her back pressed against Cass. Dick fussed over rebuilding her nest, weeping in frustration, until she finally got it into a decent state after almost half an hour. She tried to cuddle Jack, but the pup refused to let go of Tim, so Dick sobbed and wrapped herself around a longsuffering Damian instead. She was whimpering for Bruce, but John hissed fiercely every time he tried to approach the nest, so he was staying well back.

"I hate my liiife!" Dick wailed.

_"So glad I'm not a 'mega,"_ Tim mouthed, looking torn between sympathy and better-you-than-me.

Once John finally had their own third of the nest to their liking, they curled up in it, body rigid and tight. Since they wouldn't let Bruce near, Dick finally let Damian, the only other alpha in the pack, squirm free and lie down behind John, holding them and rubbing their belly. It seemed to help, since the oldest bird uncurled slightly and relaxed a bit, looking exhausted rather than pained. Dick clung to Duke and pressed her face against their leg as they stroked her hair soothingly.

The pack members took turns keeping their omegas company, exchanging scents with Dick each time to appease her instincts. Bruce stayed out all night on patrol, taking out his feelings of rejection and helplessness on the unfortunate criminals who fell into his grasp. Tim accompanied him until a little past midnight, then was replaced by Cass. Back in the cave, Alfred handed over the Batcomputer to Duke around the same time. Damian guarded his omegas, and Jack, now that the fuss had died down, happily submitted to being passed from one omega to the other like a cuddle toy. Peter grumbled at being smothered, but submitted without much of a fight. Jason sleepily groomed her packmates whenever she was awake enough to do so.

John was the anomaly, restless despite their nest and gathered packmates. Instead of resting and preparing for their body's approaching presentation, they tossed and turned, breathing hard and constantly reaching to scent-mark the younger pups. Any time a packmate's arm was offered for them to scent, they'd mouth the wrists a little harder than necessary, nearly biting.

"Geez!" Duke yelped, yanking their hand back and cradling it protectively against their chest. "Why so rough, Johnny?"

"[_warble_]...[_caw_]..."

Jack sighed and rolled over a lump of blankets into John's arms; Dick whimpered and heaved the sleeping Peter after them, then desperately bared her throat. "Damian...Duke...!"

They obligingly moved to soothe her, Duke wrapping limbs around her and Damian nuzzling her neck and then crouching over her for a while to assert dominance, reassuring her of his protection. Jason, half-asleep, squirmed closer. Still, Dick whimpered, "I want my Alpha...I want my Alpha...!"

_Richard needs you_, Damian texted his sire immediately. _Come home at once._

_Will John tolerate me?_ was the reply.

"Perhaps we could split the nest," Damian suggested helplessly.

Jason came fully awake with a snarl. "NO."

"No no no no noooo!" Dick wailed.

"All right, all right, it was just a suggestion!"

o.o.o

Everyone, even Bruce across the room on the divan, was asleep or dozing when John's presentation finally completed in the wee hours of the morning. The room filled with a strong vanilla scent, thick in the close confines of the closet.

Everyone awakened fully and started to nuzzle and lick their newest omega, but John struggled free, growling. She grabbed the pups and pulled at them so that they tumbled out of the nest, awakening abruptly.

"Mama?! Mama?!" Peter cheeped, disoriented.

_"Mine,"_ John hissed, and bit them, carefully but firmly. Peter went limp and submissive. _"My pup. Mine."_

"Mama," Jack whimpered, squirming closer and baring their throat. John claimed them as well, complete with the pseudo-Alpha scents found in alpha-less packs, and meaningfully crouched over both pups. Underage parental claiming was a behavior that sometimes happened when a presented minor was housed in the same foster home as younger siblings. It was discouraging to see John resorting to it in a place where she and the pups had been living in safety for so long.

"Johnny," Tim said, "you're safe. You're with pack. You're barely older than they are, you're not supposed to be their parent."

John might as well not have heard, for all the notice she took of them. She grabbed her pups and pulled. They followed meekly as she towed them down the hall and pushed them onto their bed, gathered blankets around them, then climbed on them, glaring at the rest of the pack clustering in the doorway.

Dick, having fallen behind because of how awful she felt, was clinging to Duke as she panted, "Wong...wrong...I want my Alpha...come back...pups come- back...!"

"Johnny, come on," Jason called, more clear-headed than her heat-addled sister but clutching a blanket tightly around herself. "The kids are safe. No one's gonna hurt them, no one's gonna get _through_ us to hurt them, come rest before _you_ get hurt."

John growled, trembling a little and sweating so much that they could see the beads of moisture on her skin all the way from the doorway.

"John," Bruce called, hanging back behind the others. He used a touch of alpha authority in his tone, trying to get his newest omega to see reason.

John howled as if in pain, then started crowing desperately. The little ones cried, but remained obedient and still as their 'mother' continued to crouch over them.

Dick was crying now, too. Bruce embraced and scented her until she calmed down, then handed her off to Damian. Jason and Tim gathered close to their distressed omega as well.

Bruce slowly stepped toward the birds' bed, then sat down before getting close enough to touch it. On the floor, he was shorter than John. "Johnny."

"_crow_"

"I know you want to keep your little ones safe. But you're in heat and you need your Alpha right now. I would never hurt you, I'd _die_ before I hurt you. Please let me help you, chum. Please let me help."

John didn't move, breathing hard and sweating and trembling. At last, though, after many long minutes, she crept close, whimpering and cringing. Bruce kept still even after she bared her throat a little, just barely enough to offer. Bruce still waited. John sobbed and tilted her head back farther. Bruce very gently leaned down to scent her, but she jerked away before he could reach her and pressed back against the bed, crying. The harsh smell of fear in her scent was turning Bruce's stomach.

"I'm sorry there's not an easier way, sweetheart. I'm so sorry. I won't hurt you, I _promise_. I promise, Johnny." Instead of bringing his mouth anywhere near her neck, this time, he rubbed his hands over his own scent glands and then cautiously reached for the little omega. John dropped her head and went still, tense but unresisting as her pack Alpha's scent was brushed over her skin. She whimpered in relief but didn't move as Bruce continued to mark her with his hands and wrists. Then she sighed, relaxing slightly, and very slowly lowered herself to the floor.

Bruce continued until his little one was thoroughly scented, her eyes sleepily half-lidded and her hand limp on the floor rather than pressing tightly against her stomach. He cautiously pulled her into his lap and rubbed at her belly.

She _purred_, just a little. Then she uncurled slightly to give him easier access and gazed up at him.

"Do you know what a treasure you're gifting me with right now?" he murmured to her, hand still resting on her stomach. "I know how badly you were hurt by _him_ when you were helpless and vulnerable. I promise I will never do that to you, but he had my face and he lied to you a lot, didn't he. He made promises to you just so he could break them. So you learned to never, ever trust, yet you're trusting again, trusting _me_, and it's so precious and you are so precious to me, Johnny. I would give my life to protect you."

John, allowing Bruce's scent and his gentle ministrations to ease the pain in her empty uterus, tipped her head back and yipped for her pups (who would continue to treat John as their mother for almost the next two years, well into Bruce's eventual marriage with Selina). Peter and Jack immediately scrambled close, nuzzling her and purring. Bruce picked up her nearly relaxed body and set her on the bed, and he'd only just started reaching for the blankets when Dick scrambled to climb into the new nest.

Jason soon joined them, then the others, squirming and fidgeting until they all found comfortable positions. Bruce arranged the rest of the clumsy nest around his pack and then lay down beside them, with Alfred, his trusted pack Beta, keeping watch on the other side. Bruce smiled a little when the omegas picked fussily at the blankets, adjusting the alpha-made construction as best they could.

Then, at long last, it was as a heat should be: the whole pack together, affirming their bond, centered around the relaxed and purring omegas and pups, with their Alpha watching over them.


	2. Cherished

Cherished

A Batman fanfic by Raberba girl

Summary: Tim knew their pack Alpha would be going into rut soon; they should have been prepared.

Author's notes: The timelines are probably jumbled up; sorry.

**This is not a TBWS story, I just figured I'd post all my ABO fics together.**

o.o.o

Tim had not meant to pull an all-nighter, but they honestly had not noticed that the sun was rising until the door of their room burst open. Their nostrils were flooded with the scent of Bruce in full rut.

"Oh, crap," Tim gasped without turning around. "Crap crap crap; wait, Bruce, please, please wait, just ONE MINUTE, I'm begging you-"

Of course the Alpha did not wait, he was probably too far gone to even register what Tim was doing. When the beta resisted, trying to buy just a few more seconds to save their work, Bruce simply hoisted Tim up over his shoulder and carried them off like a spoil of war.

"Uuuuuggghhhh," Tim groaned. They'd _known_ Bruce's rut was approaching, they should have been _prepared_ for this, instead they thought like an idiot that all those projects and messages could be wrapped up in just a couple of hours. They should have just waited to finish until after the pack roundup, when they'd have had plenty of time to work... They'd even heard the Alpha call earlier and had absently planned to answer it 'in a minute,' but as so often seemed to happen to them, what felt like only a minute or two to them while they were working ended up being a lot longer in reality.

Almost the entire rest of the pack was already gathered in the giant nest they'd made of the living room, and _all_ the jerks laughed when they saw Tim being hauled in.

"Did you forget?" Jason asked.

"No!" Tim yelped as they were tossed down on a pile of pillows between Alfred and Cass. "I just got busy..."

"Stay," Bruce growled in full alpha voice. Tim cringed, tipping their head back in surrender and going still. Bruce lumbered off again, presumably to fetch the last pack member. Damian, who'd have gone into rut the moment he sensed that his pack Alpha had, descended on Tim and started busily covering them with scents.

"Wow, overkill much?" Tim complained, squirming uneasily when Damian pushed them over onto their stomach to get at the back of their neck. "You don't even like me."

"Three years," Cass pointed out. "Different now."

"Mine," Damian growled right into Tim's neck, sending sweet chills through them. "Mine. My Tim."

"Uh..." Super confused but also rather touched, Tim reached to run their wrist gland over Damian's knee as a tentative thank-you. Damian shoved them over onto their back again, which sent them practically into Cass's lap, and seized their wrist to rub it all over his face. "Wow. Um, I love you...too...?"

Bruce marched back in, hands firmly grasping Duke's upper arms from behind, pushing the beta in front of him. "What-? Why am _I_ here?" Duke protested in bewilderment.

Jason raised an eyebrow. "Uh, 'cause you're pack?"

"Is it because I'm a Bat, or because I'm a foster kid?" Duke asked, struggling to keep eye contact with the people they were speaking to when Bruce was manhandling them around to thoroughly scent them.

"Both, Master Duke," Alfred answered, and then most of the pack got up to wrestle Duke away from Bruce and scent them, making sure they _knew_ _beyond a doubt_ that they belonged with them.

"You can work things out with your parents later," Tim made sure to clarify. "Being one of us doesn't mean you can't also be one of them." Duke smiled shyly in return.

Bruce, bereft of his target, switched focus to his omegas. "Not it," Jason proclaimed, ducking away, but Dick smiled and held out her arms for a hug, chin lifted to expose her throat. Bruce seized her at once and started making sure that anyone who came within ten feet of her would know exactly who her Alpha was and which pack she belonged to.

Now that everyone was gathered, Bruce set off to walk his territory, or at least the house (only the most idle gentlemen of old had ever had time to mark the entire grounds. Even almost a hundred years before, Wayne Alphas had been settling for marking the mansion rather than the estate as a whole).

The mansion by itself was still a huge territory, and Tim saw their chance. While everyone else settled in for a day of hanging out, playing video games, and marathoning movies and shows, Tim crawled over to the subdominant alpha, who was perched on the back of a couch, keeping watch over the pack on behalf of his sire.

"Damian," Tim whimpered. "I need help."

The alpha immediately descended and started scenting them again.

"No, not that!" Tim yelped. "I mean...my blanket. I want my blanket, my...my baby blanket, with the bears on it. It's up in the attic, with the other Drake pack stuff."

Damian swayed slightly, gazing off in the distance as he considered. A low noise hummed in his throat - not quite a growl, but close to it.

"Please, alpha," Tim whimpered, making themself as pathetic as possible. "I need it. Please. You're the only one who can help me."

Damian lurched to his feet. "Pennyworth, protect our pack," he ordered.

"Certainly, sir," the pack Beta agreed, and Damian lurched off.

Tim crept to the entryway and watched. As soon as Damian had disappeared into the garage, the beta took off running. They rushed back to their room, seized a duffel bag, and started piling paperwork and electronics into it. They raced back again, the heavy bag bumping against their body with every step. Just as they reached the living room again, they heard thundering footsteps. _'Crap.'_ They shoved the bag behind a loveseat and then flung themself onto a couch across the room just as both alphas popped into the entryway. They were both growling, their eyes fixed on Tim.

"What's wrong?" Jason asked innocently, covering for her packmate.

"Someone left the nest," Damian snarled.

"Are you sure?" Alfred said with a straight face. Tim, trying desperately to conceal their heaving breaths, was grateful.

They weren't fooling anyone, though. In unison, the alphas stormed over to Tim, who instinctively flopped back into a placatingly submissive pose. Bruce seized them and growled, "Did you leave?"

"No," Tim gasped, skin prickling at lying to their Alpha's face when two sets of intense, rut-inflamed eyes were boring into them. "N-No, I didn't leave, I've been here the whole time." The words spilled out of them in a meek whine, neck arching to offer up the entire throat, shoulders deeply hunched, eyes avoiding theirs. Bruce in his right mind - _anyone_ in their right mind - would see through the lie at once, since Tim's body and scent were practically screaming submission and guilt. However, rut-hazed Bruce and Damian finally opted to just accept what was offered, taking their time scenting Tim.

Damian nuzzled Tim one last time and then went to patrol around the windows. Bruce firmly deposited Tim between Alfred and Cass again. The Alpha then headed straight back to Dick - since he didn't have a mate to spend the day in bed with, his instincts were driving him to be territorial and protective of his whole pack instead, with the omegas at the center. Dick welcomed the attention, purring hard when Bruce cuddled her and covered her with yet more _"Mine mine mine this treasured Wayne pack omega"_ scents.

Tim, finally freed, sat up and wrinkled their nose as they looked down at themself. "I _reek_. Someone passing me on the street might actually mistake me for an alpha." Bruce's and Damian's personal scents were so strong that they nearly drowned out the more subtle _"This is a protected Wayne pack member"_ message.

" 'S whatcha get for stalling in your room," Jason remarked, eyes on the handheld video game she was playing.

"As if you've never made Bruce hunt you down when he's in rut." Tim sighed deeply when Damian came over with the bear blanket and wrapped them up in it.

"Good?" the young alpha demanded.

"Good," Tim said indulgently.

"So we're stuck here all day?" Duke asked, looking around.

"Yep."

"Pick movie," Cass offered, pushing a basket of video discs toward them.

"I appreciate seeing you all get a day every few months to simply rest," Alfred said.

Bruce finally finished with Dick and made his way around the room, brushing scents glands over Damian and the betas and even going over Tim _yet again_. Everyone could tell, though, despite his averted eyes and carefully schooled body language, that he was hunting Jason, by far the more resistant of his omegas. Jay was engrossed in her video game, oblivious to the alpha soundlessly making his way toward her.

"Alpha~ I love you~" Dick mischievously purred on the couch, as if Bruce was still preoccupied cuddling her. If Jason was subconsciously keeping an ear out, she'd lower her guard.

Everyone burst into laughter when Bruce finally pounced. Jason squawked and flailed, but a steady bite soon stilled her. She whined grumpily as Bruce murmured to her until she finally bared her neck. "I really am gonna make a pack of my own someday," she remarked to the ceiling as she was thoroughly scented. "Leave all you jerks behind." All that accomplished was apparently goading Bruce into intensifying the _"MINE MINE MINE"_ scents. Tim wondered if Jason had said it on purpose.

After all the trouble Tim had gone through to steal their laptop from their room and continue the work they'd been doing all night, the sleep deprivation caught up with them and they ended up falling asleep in their bear blanket mini-nest without even touching the duffel bag.

They woke abruptly a few hours later to find Bruce looming over them, cradling their face between both his hands. Tim felt a spike of excitement and dread. This was always both the best and the worst part of Bruce's ruts.

"Timothy," the alpha growled, and Tim shivered in anticipation. "I love you."

"Thank you, Bruce."

"I love you. You're my precious son. _My_ pup."

"I haven't been a pup in years..."

"Mine. I don't know what I'd do without you."

Tim swallowed, wishing they could look away, but those big warm hands would not allow it and their Alpha's eyes, inches away from theirs, were mesmerizing in their intensity.

"I needed you, before I even knew I did. You found me. You saved me. You saved my life, Tim."

"Least I could do," Tim managed to whisper.

"I...needed you...and you came..." The hands finally moved, but only so that Bruce could wrap his arms around the beta and hold him close. His face was in Tim's shirt, his voice rumbling through the beta's chest. "You came for me. You saved me."

"Okay." Tim swallowed. "I'm glad, Bruce."

"And I...lost you...so many times...you're a part of my _heart_, Robin..." He was crying now. "It hurts so much to lose you, don't ever leave me again..."

Tim purred a little and tried to comfort-scent his Alpha as best his could in this position, awkwardly rubbing his jaw along the top of Bruce's head.

"My good Robin, my brave and smart pup, I love you so much..."

"Love you, too, Bruce," Tim murmured. And it was true: they _did_ love Bruce, more than they had ever loved their actual sire and dam, which they still felt guilty about. They were...pretty sure Bruce cared about them, too. It was just so hard to believe sometimes, partly because Tim felt like the opposite of a lovable person, but also because Bruce _never_ said this sort of thing except when he was deep in rut. It felt like Bruce couldn't really mean it if he never said it unless forced by his most basic instincts.

The up side was that it was far less embarrassing and scary to express Tim's true feelings to his Alpha when the man was loopy like this. "Sometimes I...I wish you were my sire."

"I am," Bruce said firmly, nuzzling yet another _"Mine"_ mark onto them.

"Okay, Bruce."

o.o.o

As usual, Bruce and Damian were already gone by the time everyone woke up in the morning. Neither alpha liked how emotionally vulnerable and undignified they got during their ruts, and needed time to recover before they could face the rest of the pack again.

Dick and Jason were still huddled together, fast asleep, but Alfred was gone, probably the one making the cooking noises in the kitchen. The others were stirring, Duke lazily checking their phone and Cass gazing languidly at nothing.

Tim got up and went to shower, as they did first thing every morning after a rut. Then they headed back downstairs for breakfast, and despite being clean of all but the most basic scents, they winced when they ran into Damian on the way.

The young alpha frowned at him. "I showered," Tim said defensively.

"Obviously," Damian tsked. He hesitated, then reached for Tim's neck, and the beta hastily backed away. "Stay _still_, Drake! Do you _want_ to be mistaken as packless?"

"What do you ca-?" Tim froze in astonishment when Damian reached out again and brushed a _"Wayne pack"_ scent onto their neck. "What...?"

"It would reflect badly on our pack if we were seen to have weak bonds," Damian said as haughtily as possible before going on his way.

Tim stared after him. _'Did he just...scent me on purpose...?!'_

Pleasantly shaken, they continued on to the kitchen, poured a cup of coffee, and sat down to breakfast.

Bruce came in at one point, stalking straight to the coffee pot and sipping at the steaming drink while glowering at all the photos magneted to the refrigerator. He said nothing except a terse good morning, and neither Alfred nor Tim tried to make conversation.

Tim was nearly finished eating when Bruce put his empty mug down in the sink, paced restlessly a few times by the windows, then stopped by Tim's chair and set a hand on their shoulder. "Tim," he said gruffly. "I...meant it, you know. I always mean it. Every time."

Tim blinked. "What?"

There was a long pause. Then Bruce lifted his hand, only to pass his arm in front of Tim, grasp the other shoulder, lean over them, and squeeze in a sort of hug. "I am...proud to be your sire. You're a good Robin." Then he abruptly let go and hurried away.

When Tim eventually got their wits back together and picked up their plate to take it to the sink, they could feel themself beaming.


	3. Untitled ABO Bruce meets Tim story

[Untitled "ABO Bruce meets Tim" story] (rough draft)

A Batman fanfic by Raberba girl

_Inspired by maychorian_

Summary: Bruce meets Tim Drake and is concerned about the young beta's lack of pack scents.

Author's notes: I'm in a rush and I can't think of a title, so whatever. X'''D Also, the previous one-shot in this AU was a rough draft, too; I forgot to mention that.

o.o.o

"There's someone here to see you, sir."

Alfred ought to know better than that. "I'm busy."

"Whatever you're working on can wait."

"No it CAN'T!" Bruce burst out, spinning in his chair and rising from it at the same time. He loomed over Alfred, exuding his most commanding Alpha pheromones.

Of course, Alfred, as his pack Beta, was the only person who'd be almost completely unaffected by them. It was a Beta's _job_ to keep pack business running smoothly when the alphas and omegas weren't clearheaded (not that they really _had_ a pack anymore, with Dick off in Blüdhaven and all but severed, and Jason...oh God, _Jason_...).

"Leave me alone," Bruce gasped, turning away before Alfred could see his tears and returning to the Batcomputer like a drowning man clinging to a raft.

After a moment, there was a light touch on the back of Bruce's neck, a gentle reminder that Alfred, despite not being the pack Alpha, was still much older and wiser than Bruce. Their soft lavender scent, while not the deep balm an omega's would be, was still calming. "Take a few minutes to compose yourself, but then come up and see to your guest. You would regret turning them away."

Bruce sighed deeply, then inclined his head a little in acquiescence. Alfred brushed the edge of their hand against the bit of exposed throat in acknowledgment and returned upstairs.

When Bruce finally came up, he was surprised to see how young his visitor was. From the pronoun Alfred had used, he'd expected a grown beta, not a barely-presented juvenile.

"Alpha Wayne!" the child exclaimed, turning away from the piano they'd been tapping at. "I'm, uh, I'm Tim Drake."

The name sounded vaguely familiar. After a moment, Bruce remembered that his closest neighbors were Jack and Janet Drake, and Timothy sounded about right for their child's name.

"I wanted- Um, see, I've been noticing lately that you've been kind of, uh, more extreme than usual..."

Bruce was distracted because he was trying to make sense of the child's scents - or, rather, the lack of them. They didn't smell like their parents at _all_. There was no pack affiliation, no Alpha or Omega or pseudo-Alpha claim, _nothing_, not even the bare minimum temporary claims that displaced children usually had from foster parents, social workers, and older siblings.

"...and I don't think you're really watching your back as good, I mean as well, as you used to, either, because, like, there've been a lot of hits lately that I _know_ you could have avoided, like a lot, and..."

Bruce wondered if the child was wearing scent blockers, but he couldn't see any, and besides, Tim _did_ have their own faint beta smell and scents corresponding to their emotions.

"It's just, I'm really worried, and I really, really think Omega Grayson should come back and help you again. Because you've been really lucky so far, and I think..."

How could this child be packless? They were far too clean to be homeless, with nondescript but still expensive clothes and no sign of being underfed. Even if they'd showered immediately before arriving at Wayne Manor, there still would have been lingering hints of the strongest smells they'd been marked with before. Bruce had never seen anything like it outside of mediocre criminals meeting with investigators right after erasing evidence that they'd physically harmed someone. There was no way this child fell into that category; they couldn't be more than thirteen years old.

"Are you taking any medication?" Bruce interrupted. It was the only other explanation he could think of, unlikely as it was. After all, the _child's_ own scents were perfectly normal; the strange part was that no one else had scented them. The same problem would still apply if the child had some sort of medical condition or mutation - that would affect their own scents, not their pack's.

"What? Uh, no. But anyway, Alpha Wayne, this is really important! Batman _needs_ Robin!"

Bruce blinked. "What?"

"I...I know you're Batman. I've never told anyone and I'll keep your secret 'til my dying day, I promise, but I've been watching you and you were amazing with Omega Grayson and with Ja-"

Bruce broke in harshly before this upstart stranger could say his daughter's name. "You've been watching too much television. Batman is an urban legend."

"But-"

"Tim, does your Alpha know where you are?"

The child cringed but then caught themself. "I, um, well, I came here straight after school and they're not expecting me 'til a little later, so-"

"Tim, do you _have_ an Alpha?"

"Of course!" Tim yelped. "My sire, Jack Drake. Why?!"

"Tim, you smell packless."

The young beta stared at him in astonishment. "I...I'm not. I'm not packless, I, I have a pack. My dam and sire."

Bruce hesitated, then stepped forward. "Tim, before you leave, may I...?" He didn't specify, but his hand waved vaguely at the beta's throat.

"Oh, um, sure."

The child's casual willingness to be scented by a near stranger was a little concerning, but at least Bruce wasn't forcing himself on the beta when he gingerly took hold of them and nuzzled a _"This person is protected"_ mark onto them.

"Oh." When Bruce leaned back, Tim reached up to hover their hand over the new scent, looking a little awed. "Um, thank you, but what was that for?"

"It's dangerous to go around without any protective marks. Make sure your parents renew their claim on you as soon as you see them again, you understand me?" He spoke with an alpha voice to emphasize the command.

"Yes, sir," Tim said earnestly. "But anyway, what I was saying about Batman and Robin-"

"Go home, Tim. Batman's an adult, they can take care of themself." Although most of Gotham correctly assumed that Batman was an alpha, the scent blockers meant that no one had actual confirmation. Vigilantes as a whole generally tended to keep their genders secret (Nightwing, who'd been outed when she was still Robin and now wore a costume that revealed all her omegan curves, was an exception, though she still other reasons to wear scent blockers).

"But they, I mean you _can't_, that's the thing! If you keep going on like this, you're going to get killed-"

"GO HOME."

Tim flinched away. There was a pause as they resisted the command to give Bruce an anguished look, and the alpha glared back, posture and scent demanding that he be obeyed. At last, Tim made a noise that sounded horribly like a sob and practically fled.

"Sir," Alfred sighed as they came up beside Bruce, the two of them watching the child scrambling for their bike at the bottom of the front steps and riding away down the long drive. "Do you honestly think it was best to dismiss them like that?"

"I'm going to look into them," Bruce said gruffly. "Something's wrong in that pack if they'd let one of their members go about smelling like that. Smelling like _nothing_." He went down to the Batcomputer and started a search on the Drake pack.

o.o.o

Tim did go home, but not for long. A few minutes later, they were back on their bike, this time heading for the closest bus stop and then for an intercity bus to Blüdhaven.

Unfortunately, their journey wasn't over. The exotic alpha who answered the door of Dick's apartment told Tim that his companion wasn't home, so then it was off to Haly's.

When Tim finally saw Dick face to face, they were a little startled by the omega's strong and richly varied scents from at least two different sidepacks, and also a bit saddened that they could sense nothing of Dick's true pack. If she did have any lingering Wayne scents, they'd been completely buried by those of the Titans and the circus.

But Tim wasn't here for that. "Omega Grayson," they said urgently, "this is important. Batman really needs you to come back and be Robin again before he gets himself killed!"

"What the-?! Who _are_ you?" Dick stared in bewilderment at the tiny, desperate beta who had a concerned scent-mark from freaking Bruce Wayne on their neck and almost nothing else. Aside from their own scents, all Dick could detect was something incongruous and stale, as if the child had rolled in their parents' clothes rather than being scented directly. They didn't look like they were grieving someone who'd died, though; and if they'd been in a nest, they would have had additional fresh scents from the omega, but there was nothing. Betas didn't nest alone unless the circumstances were very unusual. Nothing about this kid made any sense.

"I told you, I'm Tim Drake. I know you were Robin, and Jason Todd was Robin after you-"

"Look, kid, your guesses are all wrong, but let's find somewhere quieter to sit down."

Once they were in private, Tim talked and talked and talked until Dick finally stopped denying she was a vigilante agreed to go back to Gotham. As Nightwing, which was not at all what Tim had wanted, but at least it was something. They were so relieved to at least be making progress that they kept getting distracted from wondering why both vigilantes seemed to find it important to give them protective scents, as if they had any responsibility for some pushy beta from a completely different pack.

Back in Gotham, Tim got to see the Batcave for the first time, but the experience was spoiled by Bruce and Dick's fight, which ended with them storming off together while deeply at odds, Dick still in the Nightwing suit. Tim wept at first, in frustration and in fear for their heroes, but putting on the Robin colors seemed to erase all their weakness and make them feel like they could do anything. They couldn't, of course; even their gender worked against them, since Robin was supposed to be an omega. But Tim in a stolen Robin suit they would have to give back in a few hours was certainly better than helpless Tim Drake.

Sure enough, Tim as Robin was able to rescue Batman and Nightwing _and_ themself when things went south. After how much Batman had yelled at them, Tim could not understand why, after they'd been pulled from the rubble, both Batman and Nightwing dragged the beta into the Batmobile, ripped off their scent blockers, and _covered_ Tim with scents. It was as if they were in the grip of rut and heat, respectively, but they clearly weren't, just _"anxious/scared/RELIEVED/angry."_ By the time they finally let Tim up, their collective scent messages amounted to, _"If you touch this beta, these angry people will DESTROY YOU."_

"You were more in danger than I was!" Tim protested. "And we're not even pack, I don't understand why-"

"Tim," Batman rumbled, and the beta cringed as if the Dark Knight really was their Alpha, "I'm not going to let a child walk around unclaimed and vulnerable."

"But I _am_ claimed!"

"Then why are Nightwing and I the only ones who've scented you in weeks?"

Tim did not have an answer to that.

o.o.o

In the end, the Waynes let Tim be Robin for real, even though their gender was wrong.

"Tim," Dick said when they voiced this concern, "Robin is not an omega. Dick Grayson just happens to be an omega, and Jason Todd coincidentally was an omega, but Robin has no gender. Robin is a symbol of hope, and _anyone_, no matter who or what they are, can represent hope to other people."

Tim whimpered a little in relief. Robin was not forbidden to them after all. Maybe they _could_ be Robin for real...

"Why are you so _cute_?!" Dick exclaimed, and grabbed Tim to scent them as thoroughly as if they were a pack member.

"You don't...have to do this," Tim gasped, torn between delight at being _accepted_ and guilt that they were probably betraying their pack by submitting to another's scents.

"Be quiet and hold still," Dick mumbled into their temple. "I'm gonna make a nest. I need a nest right now, and you're going to snuggle in it with me and be a good pup and let me take care of you."

"I'm not a pup!"

"Mmmnngghhh, my pup," Dick crooned, flooding the place with her happy vanilla scent.

Tim supposed they could indulge the omega for a few hours.

o.o.o

By now, Tim had finally gotten used to coming home from school (well, not technically home, but Wayne Manor felt like home by now) and automatically being scented by both Alfred and Bruce as if they were pack.

Then Dick came from Blüdhaven to spend her first heat at home in years, and Tim discovered they apparently _were_ well and truly pack when they were dragged into a heat-nest that included some of their own clothes and possessively cuddled by the deeply purring omega. Bruce lay on one side of the nest, arm protectively resting over both of the younger ones; Alfred kept watch on the other.

Tim, whispering so as not to disturb Dick, "Is it...okay to have two Alphas?"

"Yes," Dick mumbled into their hair despite being half-asleep.

"I'm your Alpha for now," Bruce said firmly, in a tone that brooked no argument. "If your sire ever recovers, we'll work things out then. But I am certainly your Alpha and you are _my pup_. Mine and Alfred's and Dick's. You are Wayne Pack."

He was definitely a little heady on Dick's scents, but Tim didn't doubt his sincerity. The beta smiled and closed their eyes, nestling a little closer to their omega packmate.

o.o.o

Author's notes: I think I'm stress-writing. X'D Although I finished the actual moving part of moving (thank _God_), there's still the settling in part, which is very difficult since, even with half of my stuff in storage, the things I still need for day-to-day life don't all freaking fit in my freaking bedroom. X'D I tried to sort through it yesterday while my parents were gone and I could use the living room to spread things out, but then they came back and I'm nowhere near finishing...


	4. TBWS: Wolfbirds, part 2 (final)

_[TBWS] Wolfbirds_

A Batman fanfic by Raberba girl

Part 2 (rough draft)

**There's a trigger warning for this chapter, but I don't feel comfortable specifying what it is on FFN. Steer clear if you have any triggers.**

o.o.o

Peter had felt tired and yucky all day. They slept in the car on the way to school, huddled with John before classes started, then stared at the posters on the walls instead of listening because the teachers' voices sounded like blah blah blah blah blah blah blah.

The feeling got worse and worse, and their stomach started squirming. They thought of lunch and food and wanted to run away, but before lunch even came, the teacher was bending down to look at them.

"Peter, honey, blah blah blah? Blah blah stomach hurt?"

_"Hurts,"_ Peter whimpered, forgetting to use human words.

"Ohhh, poor thing, blah blah presenting."

'Presenting.' That was bad, it meant 'heat.' 'Heat' meant little birds got sick and scared and hid; big birds got whiny and clingy and tired. Damian had a 'rut' and Tim and Cass and Duke had nothing. Peter wished they had nothing, too, but Big Jason had 'heat' so Peter knew they would have heat, too. _'I don't wanna!'_

The teacher was calling someone on the phone, so Peter had to leave while he was still distracted. They got away from their desk, and it was hard to walk so they crawled.

"Peter, are you okay?" Cindy that nice 'mega asked. 'Megas were coming and petting them, they shivered and it felt nice but there were only two 'megas Peter wanted, and these girls weren't them.

"I wan't Johnny..."

"Ooohh, they want their sister!"

"Go 'way, I fin' Johnny."

They pulled away and tried to get to the door, but now the whole class was around them, holding them and petting them and talking to them. "Do you need help, Peter?"

"You want me to walk you to the nurse?"

"Johnny! Mama!"

"Maybe we should find Johnny; does anyone know what class she has now?"

The teacher put down the phone and came toward them. "Now, now, everyone get back to your desks. Peter-"

His alpha hand was hot on Peter's arm, and it scared them. They shoved the hand away and _ran_.

The halls were empty, empty, Peter's mind was starting to go all cloudy like when Bad Laugh Man stuck needles in them or made them breathe gas, and they were scared. _"Mama!"_ they cried. _"Mama, help!"_ The halls were so _empty_ there was nowhere to hide, but the water fountains were sticking out of the wall and made shadows underneath, so they crawled under there. They wished there was something to make a nest with...

A big alpha boy came out of the bathroom. He _smelled_, like Dad and Damian when they got all growly-huggy-protective but in a _bad_ way not a good way, and Peter hated this bad-smelling alpha boy. "Hey, why blah blah stomach? You blah blah heat? Need an alpha blah blah you, make you feel better, you little 'mega whore?"

Peter snarled the F-word that Alfred always took away dessert for and tried to crawl away, but the alpha boy grabbed them and pulled them in the bathroom and started taking off their belt.

"Don' touch me!" Peter screamed, hitting his hands away.

"BLAH BLAH you, you little bitch!"

Teeth in their neck, demanding; Peter shivered and whimpered and was still as alpha hands pulled their feath- clothes down. A belt clinked as he pulled down his own pants, and Peter suddenly realized that if they didn't MOVE NOW, this horrible bad alpha was going to _knot them_, make them scream like the poor sad scared omegas back...back before Bad Laugh Man, with their first mama, behind the other doors, 'megas too scared to leave their bad mates just like First Mama was too scared to leave hers.

_'Move now. Move now.'_ It was hard, but Peter threw themself to the side, and then it got easier. Moving moving moving was easier than moving and stopping, so they didn't stop. They yanked their shorts back up to stop tying their legs and then they kicked, bit, tasted blood and heard screams, then they were _running_.

They were outside, too hot but have to stay still and safe, hid in the bushes until big adult feet stomped and big adult hands pushed leaves aside. "Found her."

Peter snarled and ran again.

Hide and run, hide and _run_, they would always find them. "HELP!" they screamed, in bird language and human language both, hands screaming, too. "MAMA! HELP! MAMA! MAMA! _MAMA_!"

Then Mama was there, Little Alpha Johnny [_chirp-chirp_], grabbing Peter and pushing them into the flowers and pulling leaves around them for a nest, crouching over them, growling.

Peter relaxed and let themself feel the hurt, because they didn't have to run anymore. They were safe now. They let Little Alpha protect them and hugged their hurting stomach and cried, hoping it would be over soon.

o.o.o

Bruce, having calculated the most likely time for Peter to present, had put in orders for a custom-made claiming ring and a new omega wardrobe, waiting only for Peter's up-to-date measurements to finalize them. Unfortunately, his guess was off by five days, which meant that he was at work when he got a phone call from the birds' school.

_"None of your kids are hurt,"_ the secretary assured him, _"though the Willingham family's lawyers might be giving you a call. You have a better case, though; they shouldn't have sent him to school when he was on the verge of rut."_

"What?!"

_"Nothing happened, nothing happened - it just seems that Peter might actually be presenting! Congratulations! It's just that-"_

Bruce didn't hear the rest; he must have hung up, because the next thing he knew, he was typing an urgent text to his pack and then grabbing his briefcase.

He and Jason were the first ones to make it to the school, with Alfred on the way; the others would stay at or make their way to the manor. "Are you going into heat?" Bruce asked as they hurried through the front gates together.

"If I am, it'd be five days early."

So Bruce had calculated correctly for Jason, but apparently Peter wasn't as precisely synchronized to her (yet) the way John had been to Dick.

They got to the front office, but were unpleasantly surprised to find that their pup was not with the nurse like they'd expected. "She's, I mean they're, er, actually in the courtyard..."

"My presenting pup is in the COURTYARD?"

The beta secretary cringed at Bruce's alpha fury. "There was a scuffle, and sh- they got away from us for a while, but their sister is with them! Their sister is there, don't worry!"

Bruce and Jason hurried to the courtyard, where they found the vice-principal, a couple of custodians, and an off-duty teacher standing around a flower bed in bemusement. A nest had been hastily thrown together in the flowers, in which Peter was curled tightly, whimpering in pain, with John crouched over them making ferocious pseudo-Alpha growls.

Bruce approached and crouched down. "Johnny," he asked softly, "may I please touch Peter?"

The little omega gave him a long, intent stare, then reluctantly shifted aside. Bruce tugged Peter into his arms; the pup sobbed and squirmed closer into him. Bruce stood up holding his child, and Jason stepped close, one arm around John and the other hand rubbing Peter's back.

"My Beta will be here soon," Bruce told the vice-principal. "We need somewhere more comfortable to wait, and someone is going to explain to me what a rutting student has to do with my presenting child."

They got Peter settled in a nest in the back room of the nurse's office. With Jason standing guard, John was free to tend to her pup, soothing the pain with her pseudo-Alpha croons and scents. Bruce closed the door behind him and then folded his arms, glaring at the boy being treated for scratches and a scentless bite.

"I didn't know I was going to rut today!" the young alpha was protesting. "My instincts _totally_ took over; I didn't even _know_ what I was doing 'til the little bitch started swiping at me! What the hell kind of freak is she, anyway, _fighting_ someone who just _bit_ her?!"

"So let me get this straight," Bruce said, trembling with rage and with the effort of suppressing his instincts to violently subdue the much younger and smaller alpha. "You _and_ your caretakers are so irresponsible that you genuinely have no clue where you are in your cycle. Your instincts were supposedly so strong that you tried to mount a pup who hasn't even finished presenting yet."

"She was holding her stomach, _obviously_ she's a 'mega-"

"YOU RIPPED THEIR CLOTHES LIKE AN ANIMAL," Bruce thundered, pleased when the boy shut up and hunched submissively at his tone, "you're so weak or so lazy that you can't or won't control your instincts, indicating that you are not fit to mingle with anyone outside your pack. You have the mentality of a rapist who sees nothing wrong with biting someone resistant to your advances, and you're a sexist who think omegas should be nothing but submissive. Did I get all that right?"

"...My sire will sue you," the boy managed to choke out.

"He is _welcome_ to try. In the meantime, **stay away from my pups**." Bruce's alpha voice was so strong that the boy bared his throat, whimpering and cringing.

Bruce turned and nodded to Alfred, who had arrived during his rant and was waiting nearby. They carefully entered the dim inner room, took a moment to soothe Peter, then carried them out to the car, where Jason and John made a blanket nest in the back seat for their younger packmate.

The rest of Peter's presentation went more smoothly. She woke up as an omega, surrounded by her pack, and purred happily. She helped Alfred put the finishing touches on the celebrations and had a serious private talk with her bird siblings, discussing dynamics and reaffirming their bond. She was delighted with her ring and spent over an hour trying on her new clothes. Within a few months, her heats had synchronized with those of the other Wayne omegas living at home, meaning the rest of the pack were able to take less time off from work.

"Peter," Bruce murmured during a movie night. The omega was purring in his lap and Jack was snuggled into his side, John curled up in a nest on the floor nearby. "You're a good girl."

"Jackie is a good girl," Jack stated, making Bruce laugh.

"You are also very good, Jack, and so is John. I love all three of you very much, and I'm glad you're safe."

_"Alphas make stomachs feel better,"_ Peter signed, and Bruce chuckled again.

He glanced at his youngest. "Two down, one more to go," he murmured. Jack, who almost certainly would be a beta like Tim, didn't have as many celebration options, but these weren't the old days where betas basically got ignored as soon as their gender was revealed. Jack's presentation would be just as worthy of celebration as their sisters' had been, and if that meant cobbling together some traditions and making up others (the beta presentation industry was still in its infancy and didn't have much to offer yet), Bruce would do whatever he needed to do to make his child happy.

_'They grow up so fast...'_ Jack was likely going to be his very last child. He was sad that he had so little time left to dote on an actual pup, but just as he had treasured the birds in their childhood, he would continue to do so as they grew, and already they made him as proud as their older siblings had done before them.

o.o.o

Author's notes: Ftr, Jack is homeschooled by a tutor at the manor, that's why they weren't at school with the older two. (Gonna go into more detail about that if/when I get to that part in the main story.)

I did write Jack's ABO story, but had second thoughts about posting it, so I'm marking this collection as complete. Those last couple of paragraphs were me sort of compensating a bit for Jack not getting a public story to themself.

o.o.o

**Okay, so! What you just read was actually a completely restarted-from-scratch second version of Peter's ABO story. What I have of the original version is included below. It started out okay, especially considering that I had no real ideas for it, but as soon as it took that abrupt downward turn (you'll know it when you see it), I got really unhappy with it and had to give up. I later realized that one of the problems was that it was too similar to John's story, so I gave it some thought and decided it might be interesting to have a bird present unexpectedly at school rather than at home.**

o.o.o

Peter's presentation the next year was more typical. Bruce was at his desk in the study, working, with Jason whiny and draped over his back like she usually did when she was about to go into heat.

"Daaaaaaddd..."

"Yes, Jay?" Bruce asked patiently, still typing out an email.

Jason rubbed her face against his scent glands. "You love me lots. LOTS. You better."

"I love you very much."

"That's right. Because. 'Cause I'm yer 'mega. Gotta. Take care o' me an' feed me an' keep me safe." As if trying to make up for lost time, Jason tended to revel in the most stereotypically omegan behavior during her heats these days. It was a far cry from when she'd still been a minor, growling and pretending to be an alpha and fiercely resisting her instincts even when they were at their strongest.

Bruce gave up on working and got up, turning around to face Jason as she slumped in his chair. He embraced her and she immediately bared her throat, hardly flinching when he nuzzled her neck. He closed his teeth on her skin, careful to bite more gently than he did his less-abused children but firmly enough to make her feel safe. "Better?" He asked.

"Mmmm-hmmmn," she purred. "Gonna go nest now."

She'd barely set a foot on the floor when Peter barged in and made a beeline for the Alpha. They grabbed Bruce's shirt and pulled.

"What's-? You want my shirt, Peter?"

"Gimme," the pup said, still pulling. Their pre-presentation scent was exciting, and Bruce thought of all the preparations he and the others had made in anticipation of Peter presenting this year. All that remained, other than baking Peter's favorite cake, was to finalize the orders for the claiming ring and new clothes, and hopefully they'd be able to have the intimate pack celebration soon after the pup's first heat ended. The official debutante ball would come later, but none of the Waynes except Alfred cared about that.

"All right, give me a moment."

Peter grabbed the shirt as soon as it was free and ran off with it. Bruce and Jason followed and found the pup, assisted by John and even Jack, constructing a nest on the birds' own bed.

"You didn't want my bed?" Bruce asked half-playfully.

"Good ness't," Peter mumbled distractedly, re-arranging a shirt Jack had just laid around the perimeter.

The rest of the pack soon arrived, and everyone was relieved that apparently things were going to be less dramatic this time than John's presentation had been. Peter got a little twitchy and growly when the adults, particularly the alphas, crowded too close, but they tolerated Bruce's general presence and even brief touches.

"How are you feeling, puppy?" Dick asked, rubbing Peter's lower back.

_"Stomach is squiggly,"_ Peter signed, making everyone laugh. _"I will be...an omega like [chirp-chirp]."_ Peter suddenly reared up and fiercely told Bruce and Damian, _"Do not mate with me!"_

The alphas backed away, aghast, and the mood dropped like a rock.

"Pete," Duke said in a strangled voice.

"No one's matin' with ya," Jason growled, accent slipping as she practically smothered Peter protectively with her body, despite their annoyed attempts to push her off. "No sickos in _this_ house."

_"Bad bad bad alphas hold down omegas force them they don't want it,"_ Peter twittered, picking at the nest as best they could while they were pinned, shaking their head as if trying to clear it of old, old memories from even before their captivity of watching and hearing omegas get raped.

John went still and tense, intently studying Bruce and Damian for a moment, then relaxed slightly and resumed her work, though she kept her body angled watchfully sideways and stayed between Peter and the alphas.

Jack was horrified. "Alphas hurt little pups?!"

"Only really bad alphas do," Tim said firmly, sitting down on the bed and pulling their young counterpart into their arms to comfort them. "Our alphas are safe. Bruce and Damian would never hurt any of you."

"Daddy don't hurt me," Jack mumbled, hiding their face in Tim's shirt.

Bruce cautiously made his way toward the Drake pair and very carefully brushed his fingertips through the pup's hair. "Jack, I would never, ever hurt you or your siblings. I _catch_ alphas like that and make sure they're arrested. Do you understand me? I will protect you."

Jack nodded, but did not take their face out of Tim's shirt.

Peter finally got irritated enough to struggle hard, and Jason was finally dislodged. She was almost completely in heat now, sweating and growling a little as she tried to get up and nearly fell off the bed.

"Want us to get your nest stuff?" Dick offered, crouching beside her.

"Red bag 'n my closet," Jason said through gritted teeth. Cass went to fetch it, and Dick galloped off to grab the colorful sparkly things that were a must-have for her and John.

As the scent in the room intensified, the Wayne omegas set to work more earnestly. Dick threw her own sub-nest together and, since none of the little ones were available, got Cass to join her in it, with the dispirited alphas settling near them on the bed. John finished quickly as well and crouched over Jack, with the betas gathered on that side. Jason and Peter, as the ones in or nearing actual heat, took a lot longer trying to get their own segments of the nest exactly right, but at last managed it. Peter curled in tightly on themself and whimpered.

"It huuurts," Jason mumbled.

"John, Peter," Bruce said carefully, "may I come over there and help?"

John clutched her pup tighter, but looked to Peter to make the decision. Peter cracked an eye open and studied Bruce. _"...Gentle,"_ they finally signed with one hand.

"Yes, of course."

*idk where i'm going with this. bruce shuffles over and comforts them, peter presents, recovers, party?

o.o.o

Author's notes: I'll try to update _Gifts From the Sea_ soon. I've been having trouble because the next segment is poorly planned and writing the next chapter has been like pulling teeth, plus I'm still dealing with residual crap from the move, and also now apparently my muse has moved on from mermaids and is now obsessed with ABO. X'''D I am frustrated with life right now...


End file.
